Airline distribution Travel technology glossary

Direct ConnectAirline direct connection

Also called direct connectionairline direct connectNDC directGDS bypass

Definition

A direct connect is a link between a travel seller and an airline's own systems that lets the seller shop and book without going through a GDS. It is usually delivered as an airline API, often built on IATA's NDC standard, or as a web portal for agents.

What Direct Connect means

For decades most agency bookings ran through GDSs, which charge airlines a fee per booking and display content built from filed fares. Direct connections give airlines a channel they control end to end: they build the offer, set the price in real time, and include extras, bundles and rich content that legacy displays struggle to show.

Direct connects take several forms. Airlines publish NDC APIs that agencies or their technology providers can integrate. Low-cost carriers often provide their own APIs or agent portals. And NDC aggregators bundle many airline connections behind one interface, which blurs the line between direct and indirect sales.

Airlines have used price signals to push agencies towards these channels. Lufthansa Group introduced a €16 Distribution Cost Charge on tickets issued through GDS channels from 1 September 2015, covering Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss, while agencies could avoid it by booking through the group's agent portal. British Airways and Iberia added an £8 fee on GDS bookings from 1 November 2017, exempting NDC channels. For tickets issued from 1 January 2026, Lufthansa Group's charge was set at €18 through Amadeus, €22.50 through Sabre and €23 through Travelport, according to Travel Market Report.

An Accelya report cited by Business Travel News estimated that NDC direct connections carried about 4% of airline fare distribution in 2023, projected to reach about 9% by 2028.

How Direct Connect works

Setting up a direct connect is a commercial and technical project, usually repeated for each airline.

  1. Agree access with the airlineThe agency or its technology partner signs the airline's terms, which may cover credentials, commissions and payment methods.
  2. Integrate the APIDevelopers build to the airline's NDC or proprietary API and complete any certification or testing the airline requires.
  3. Shop and receive offersSearches go straight to the airline, which returns priced offers that can include bundles, seats and bags.
  4. Book and payThe selected offer is turned into an order or booking, paid by card, BSP or a deposit, and confirmed by the airline.
  5. Service through the same linkChanges, cancellations and refunds are handled through the same connection, which agencies must support in their mid-office.

Direct Connect in practice

Surcharge avoidance (Lufthansa Group, 2015): when the €16 Distribution Cost Charge began on 1 September 2015, the group said it would not apply to bookings on its own websites or at airport ticket counters, and travel agencies could avoid it by booking through the Lufthansa Group agent portal.

NDC exemption (BA and Iberia, 2017): the £8 GDS fee did not apply to bookings made on the airlines' websites, through sales offices and call centres, or through NDC channels, including NDC connections run by IT providers or aggregators.

Agency set-up (illustrative): a UAE travel agency connects to three Gulf carriers through their NDC APIs via one aggregator, keeps its GDS for other airlines, and compares the final price including any distribution charge before ticketing.

Who uses it

AirlinesCarriers use direct connects to lower distribution costs, control their offers and sell ancillaries and bundles in agency channels.
Travel agencies and TMCsAgencies add direct connections to reach fares and products not available in the GDS or to avoid GDS surcharges.
OTAsOnline travel agencies integrate airline APIs to show live prices and richer content in their own interfaces.
Technology providersAggregators and booking engines build and maintain many airline connections and resell them as one API.

Advantages and limitations

Advantages

  • Agencies can access airline-specific fares, bundles and extras that may not appear in a GDS.
  • Bookings can avoid GDS-channel surcharges that some airlines apply.
  • Airlines gain control over how offers are priced and presented in agency channels.

Limitations

  • Each airline connection has its own integration, certification and servicing workflow, which raises technology costs.
  • Comparing prices across airlines is harder when content is spread across many separate connections.
  • Servicing functions such as exchanges, refunds and schedule changes are not always as complete as in mature GDS workflows.

Frequently asked questions about Direct Connect

What does GDS bypass mean?

GDS bypass describes airlines selling to travel agencies and travellers without a global distribution system in the middle, typically through their own websites, agent portals or APIs. Airlines pursue it to cut per-booking GDS fees and to control their offers. Agencies may still use GDSs for other airlines alongside direct connections.

Is NDC the same as a direct connect?

Not exactly. NDC is an IATA data standard for sending airline offers and orders in XML. It can be used over a direct connection between an agency and an airline, but GDSs and aggregators also deliver NDC content. A direct connect can also use an airline's own non-NDC API.

Why do airlines charge extra for GDS bookings?

Airlines pay GDSs a fee for each booking made through them. Some carriers pass part of that cost on through a surcharge to encourage agencies to use cheaper channels such as their websites, portals or NDC. Lufthansa Group was an early example with its €16 Distribution Cost Charge from 1 September 2015.

Do small travel agencies need direct airline connections?

Not always individually. Building and maintaining many airline APIs is costly, so smaller agencies often reach direct and NDC content through a GDS's NDC offering, an aggregator or a booking platform that already holds the connections. The right choice depends on which airlines matter most in the agency's markets.

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Sources and further reading

  1. GTP — Lufthansa's plan to charge for GDS bookings sparks reaction from Amadeus
  2. TTG Asia — British Airways, Iberia to impose GDS booking fee (31 May 2017)
  3. Travel Market Report — Lufthansa Group hikes GDS booking fee for Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport (5 December 2025)
  4. Business Travel News — Will Offers and Orders ever supplant EDIFACT?
  5. IATA — NDC